Does there seem to be diversity at Datadog?

Three months into my journey at Datadog, I'm impressed by the company's commitment to innovation, evident in its cutting-edge technologies and emphasis on professional development. The inclusive culture, supportive leadership, and flexible work options make Datadog an exceptional workplace for anyone seeking a dynamic and rewarding career.

After three months, I've yet to encounter any significant cons.

Great office location, heart of Denver Catered lunches 3x per week (to offset the ~$15 per day parking) Great experience, but you have to put up with poor work culture to attain it

"Disappointing Leadership and Misaligned Culture" I joined Datadog with extensive experience in hiring sales talent and was excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Talent Acquisition (TA) team. Unfortunately, my experience revealed systemic challenges that made it difficult to thrive in this environment. Leadership and Organizational Issues A key concern was the lack of experience among leaders in both TA and the sales organizations I partnered with. This often resulted in a disconnect between expectations and execution. For example, many sales leaders lacked the training to effectively interview candidates or minimize hiring biases. When these concerns were raised to TA leadership on multiple occasions, there was no meaningful follow-up or action taken. Instead, I often felt dismissed, and my attempts to advocate for parity in the hiring process were interpreted negatively. Another red flag was a diversity initiative that asked us to focus exclusively on interviewing female candidates. While promoting diversity is critical, the approach felt overly simplistic and missed the broader picture of fostering an inclusive and equitable hiring process. Challenging Workplace Culture The workplace culture also presented challenges. There was significant pressure to participate in social events, such as weekly happy hours, and those who opted out often felt alienated or judged. Additionally, the competitive dynamic among team members fostered a lack of trust. On multiple occasions, I experienced colleagues prioritizing personal gain over collaboration, which created unnecessary tension. Final Thoughts While the company offers growth opportunities (to certain people) and operates in an exciting industry, I believe more focus is needed on equipping leaders with the skills and training required to support their teams effectively. Additionally, fostering a culture of collaboration and respect could significantly improve the employee experience. For those considering a role at Datadog, I would recommend asking questions during the interview process about leadership style, team dynamics, and how success is measured. Make sure you cross-check these answers with your experience in the first 90 days or so to ensure they align with what was communicated during the hiring process.

- company truly focused on finding great people that share a vision and values - lots of work being done by office people and colleagues to foster inclusivity and diversity - bonus for deals bigger than 500$

- base salary can't compete with competition or other tech companies - company becomes too "american" - invested into new offices (3 days mandatory) but are very inflexible with some markets about their office attendance - some people are fine to work from their home country for a week or two while others are not permitted to do so whatsoever - promotions are hard to achieve and few - targets are too high

- Bleeding edge - Customers genuinely want to talk to you - Superb product

- Severe lack of diversity in sales reps and sales leadership - Growing company, growing pains - Leadership transparency

The food and the product are cool, its a shame they’re hiring jerks

While Datadog has a lot of potential, the experience for Black employees within the sales department in Denver is far from ideal. Out of the entire SDR team, there are only 1 Black SDRs, which speaks volumes about the lack of diversity. Additionally, management in the Denver office needs significant improvement. It's concerning that external hires are often prioritized over internal growth, which affects team morale and cohesion. Moreover, the recruitment process was disappointing, with the recruiter displaying behavior that felt racially insensitive, highlighting the urgent need for better DEI initiatives. Datadog has a long way to go in creating a truly inclusive and equitable workplace.

lots of resources for success

not a lot of diversity

Great SDR teams, the office is full of lovely people who really will help each other.

Management consistently failing their reps. You’ll get lucky or unlucky what manager you get. The amount of turnover is concerning. Very few people consistently hit target. Nearly everyone is being threatened with a PIP. When you get the job you’re told they prioritise internal hires, this isn’t the case. All top performers leave because they can’t get promoted and all AEs being hired are coming from Salesforce. Very little diversity.

Great office location, heart of Denver Catered lunches 3x per week (to offset the ~$15 per day parking) Great experience, but you have to put up with poor work culture to attain it

"Disappointing Leadership and Misaligned Culture" I joined Datadog with extensive experience in hiring sales talent and was excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Talent Acquisition (TA) team. Unfortunately, my experience revealed systemic challenges that made it difficult to thrive in this environment. Leadership and Organizational Issues A key concern was the lack of experience among leaders in both TA and the sales organizations I partnered with. This often resulted in a disconnect between expectations and execution. For example, many sales leaders lacked the training to effectively interview candidates or minimize hiring biases. When these concerns were raised to TA leadership on multiple occasions, there was no meaningful follow-up or action taken. Instead, I often felt dismissed, and my attempts to advocate for parity in the hiring process were interpreted negatively. Another red flag was a diversity initiative that asked us to focus exclusively on interviewing female candidates. While promoting diversity is critical, the approach felt overly simplistic and missed the broader picture of fostering an inclusive and equitable hiring process. Challenging Workplace Culture The workplace culture also presented challenges. There was significant pressure to participate in social events, such as weekly happy hours, and those who opted out often felt alienated or judged. Additionally, the competitive dynamic among team members fostered a lack of trust. On multiple occasions, I experienced colleagues prioritizing personal gain over collaboration, which created unnecessary tension. Final Thoughts While the company offers growth opportunities (to certain people) and operates in an exciting industry, I believe more focus is needed on equipping leaders with the skills and training required to support their teams effectively. Additionally, fostering a culture of collaboration and respect could significantly improve the employee experience. For those considering a role at Datadog, I would recommend asking questions during the interview process about leadership style, team dynamics, and how success is measured. Make sure you cross-check these answers with your experience in the first 90 days or so to ensure they align with what was communicated during the hiring process.

The office is nice and has an ok lunch 3 days a week (was much nicer until they gave a contract to compass group and the food is just above what I’d feed my dog now).

There’s a lot. First off there is a small group of recruiter who have been in the company for a number of years who have their own little clique and don’t engage or support newer staff members and just act like their own little team. Said team are also terrible for bad mouthing, insulting and in some instances bullying people because they feel they are not “Datadog standard”. This unfortunately is not only overlooked by a lot of managers but some of them join in. Unfortunately there is a lot of turn over, both in the team you are hiring for an in recruitment with people terminated for trivial reasons, or worse people being “managed out” but because the company is filled with gossips half the company know someone is going to be fired for weeks before. You see so many people join the company and then one day no longer be there. There is some very toxic senior managers in the team, and a lot of American overreach in the recruiting org, who often don’t understand there are different laws in Europe and can’t comprehend that they can’t do what they want like in America. 3 days a week in office with zero flexibility except for (would you believe) the little clique group who have reduced days.

This company hides behind flashy branding and “diversity” slogans, but the reality is toxic. Leadership protects a white male inner circle where bias, racism, and sexism go unchecked. Women and people of color are undermined, excluded from opportunities, and pushed out. Speaking up is punished, while favoritism and retaliation are the norm. HR is not neutral. They cover for management, silence complaints, and pretend to “coach” employees who are actually being set up to fail. If you are not part of the frat style culture, you are treated as expendable. They do not value integrity, fairness, or respect. Anyone considering working here should think twice.

Racist and sexist culture Retaliation against employees who advocate for themselves HR protects management, not employees No real support or career development for women or minorities Toxic favoritism and frat boy politics